


the prettiest sight to see

by RoamingSignals



Series: Make the Yuletide Gay [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Shopping, Confessions, Friends to Lovers, M/M, stressed retail workers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21877027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoamingSignals/pseuds/RoamingSignals
Summary: "What are you thinking of getting them?""They like space," Donghyuck says idly, flipping through a book on one of the displays. "And reading. And they need new glasses."Renjun makes a face. "I mean, me too, but this is to win someone's heart, isn't it?" A different face, softer but still disgusted. "You said this gift is for your special person, right?"Donghyuck pinches his nose and coos. "Don't look at me like that. Are you jealous? I like you the most."
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Series: Make the Yuletide Gay [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567384
Comments: 22
Kudos: 336





	the prettiest sight to see

**Author's Note:**

> RENHYUCK. that is all

Renjun is waiting for Donghyuck outside of the church after rehearsal, hands in his pockets, scarf covering the lower half of his face. He looks a bit like a fairy in the dingy street lights, and the look on his face when the warmth from inside covers him the moment Donghyuck leaves is laughable. “Let’s just sleep in the church,” he offers, and Donghyuck falls in step, already happy.

”I spend too much time in the church for a filthy sinner,” Donghyuck tells him. “If you step inside I think you’d be smited on the spot.”

”Your hot chorale director wouldn’t protect me?” Renjun asks. They fall into step easily, Donghyuck taking shorter strides and Renjun walking briskly across the street. Snow banks are high on either side of the shoveled sidewalk, and the closer they get to main streets the more people mill about. “I’m small and give off baby gay energy.”

”That’s why God is smiting you in the first place.” Renjun only calls himself small when he’s making a joke, or when it benefits him — Donghyuck has seen him flutter his eyelashes for a free $3 milkshake before, so the bar is low — but truthfully, Donghyuck thinks his best friend takes up a lot of space. Whenever they share a room, Donghyuck subconsciously makes room for him, and when he leaves the vacuum is startling.

Perhaps that's because Donghyuck is horribly in love in a really gross, non-platonic way, but pining is in the spirit of Christmas, so there's little he can do about it.

At least there's no mistletoe, here in city center, where the people hastily finish their errands and hide in shops to get out of the cold. "We should stop for coffee," Donghyuck says, pulling Renjun into a café, arm hooked in the crick of his elbow. "I'll pay."

"Of course, you'll pay," Renjun grouses, but he follows easily enough. His nose is so cute as he pulls his scarf down. "You owe me like, $200 at this point."

"You don't have to bring that up every time." Donghyuck knows Renjun will always bring it up, just like Donghyuck brought up their $50 disparity all the time before the tables turned. They're both petty. That's one of the reasons they fit together so well, and have stuck together for so long. "Let me be a gentleman."

"I'm honored," Renjun says, like he doesn't know that the café owner always gives Donghyuck a discount anyway. "I just want a latte. But we should get it and go."

Donghyuck agrees, and they chat while they wait in line, and he can convince himself he's not jumpy like a bolt of lightning. He wonders if Jungwoo confessed, the way he promised he would. He wonders if he is expected to hold up to his end of the deal.

It sucks, because if his best friend returned the favor — his horrific favor, his silly crush turned into a shade of love that's too embarrassing to name — it'd be a Christmas miracle.

"Kun!" Donghyuck says when he gets up to the counter.

"Jaemin," says the barista, tapping at their name scrawled on the name tag. His hair is pink underneath the sparkly Santa hat on his head. He has a pretty smile. "I can get Kun, but I'd miss the company."

Donghyuck flushes, and Renjun scoffs under his breath. "That's okay." He puts his money on the counter. "Can I get a hot chocolate and a medium latte?"

Jaemin rings them up at the register, eyeing between Donghyuck and Renjun, who buries his cold face in Donghyuck's shoulder while he finishes paying. He only really lets go when they've got their drinks and it's time to leave and they can't exit through the door at the same time. Donghyuck holds the door open for a man with wide eyes and bleached hair, and hears Jaemin call for Kun from the back. He stays long enough to wave hello, but Kun is preoccupied with the newest customer, and his wave is halfhearted.

"Jaemin didn't give me a discount for being cute," Donghyuck complains. "What's the point of this face if I don't get things for free?"

Renjun jostles him, nearly pushing him into an ice-covered mailbox. "Let’s get to the mall before any more of your brain cells freeze."

The department store is a shitty place for them to go shopping for presents. For one, it's packed with people. It's hard to be claustrophobic growing up in a city like this, but the holidays always push Renjun's limits, so Donghyuck had been surprised when Renjun offered to come gift shopping with him. The second reason it's terrible is it’s expensive, but Donghyuck just finished the season of his new television show, and he'd been better received than expected, so there's money burning a hole in his pocket.

"Come on," Renjun says impatiently. "I'm tired. I want to eat soup and go to bed. Didn't you say you're looking for something for your special person?"

He looks really good as he pulls his scarf down, and his hair is crazy when he tugs it off, and his eyes are really bright. "Yeah," Donghyuck breathes, and lets Renjun hurl him into the store without complaint.

Or, only mild complaint, because what are they without complaining stringing them together? Best friends is a title strong enough for them to thread their fingers together in this stupid department store, and the complaining keeps the energy moving back and forth — good natured, never ending, forever.

Donghyuck has grown grossly genuine over the past few months. Disappointing.

Truly, if he thinks Renjun is pretty with hat hair, thinks Renjun glows under the fluorescent lighting, there's really a problem there.

"What are you thinking of getting them?" Renjun asks, rifling through racks of clothes. He's shopping for something for himself, probably, because the things he picks up are similar to his personal style. It's kind of funny, because Donghyuck is also shopping for Renjun.

"They like space," Donghyuck says idly, flipping through a book on one of the displays. "And reading. And they need new glasses."

Renjun makes a face. "I mean, me too, but this is to win someone's heart, isn't it?" A different face, softer but still disgusted. "You said this is your special person, right?"

Donghyuck pinches his nose and coos. "Don't look at me like that. Are you jealous? I like you the most."

"Pleb," Renjun says primly, knocking Donghyuck's hand away and rubbing the red tip of his nose. "Don't touch me, I'm precious jade."

"Okay, Jade." Donghyuck laughs, shoving cold hands in warm pockets; Renjun's pockets, because he's annoying and indulgent. "What do you suggest for winning hearts?"

"I don't know." Renjun hums. "Jewelry?"

Donghyuck laughs so hard he snorts. "Jewelry? For a crush? Renjun, that's bad advice."

"No, no," Renjun says, surprisingly stubborn, and the fire in his eyes is wildly cold. "Trust me. Bitches love jewelry."

There are several issues with this concept, because Donghyuck knows that jewelry is way too much for a traditional confession, but also Renjun knows that Donghyuck is not straight, and is in fact a long-blossom bisexual, so the comment is funny in and of itself.

Later, Donghyuck thinks he'll rub it in Renjun's face, that he's calling himself a bitch.

"Okay." Donghyuck closes his eyes and holds out his hands. "Lead me to bitches."

Renjun pulls him along, and Donghyuck won't say he doesn't feel like lightning more and more, electric, giggling as Renjun weaves him blindly through the throng of middle-aged women and stuffy men in suits and children waiting for their parents to find them among the displays.

"Here!" It's the tackiest section of necklaces Donghyuck has ever seen, not even tacky in a way that's fashionable. Clunky or overly-delicate or disjointed. Renjun looks at them proudly, his ugly children. "Ideal."

Donghyuck runs his hands through the chains and pendants. There's one his grandma probably owns, giant mistletoe leaves and ugly red crystal. "This is hideous."

"I like it." Renjun is holding back his laughter, obviously, his stoic face fraying at the edges, and Donghyuck wants him to laugh. "Reminds me of the Christmas Spirit."

"It looks like the Christmas Spirit threw up."

Renjun raises his eyebrow, a challenge. "Don't you think your special person will love it?" Cheeky.

"I don't think anyone under sixty would look good in this." Donghyuck lets the ugly chain fall through his fingers. "I'm pretty sure the woman at the counter is judging us for looking at it, let alone wearing it."

"You must not really like them if you don't think they'd look pretty in a paper bag." Renjun has his hands on his hips, eyes sparkling. The store moves around them, Renjun the axis, but no matter what way he looks at it Donghyuck still thinks the necklace is fucking ugly. "Shame on you."

This is the moment, more than any of the others, that Donghyuck has been dreading since he and Jungwoo made the deal last week. That stupid pact, to confess, to rest assured in their feelings for a day or two before taking the plunge and swallowing down the shame of the rejection. Jungwoo hasn't responded to Donghyuck's text, but Donghyuck has to trust that it happened.

"I guess we can always try and see," he says, plucking the necklace from the stand.

He pulls Renjun around, trying to find a mirror in the bustle, and only gets a dirty look once or twice. Renjun shoulder-checks a woman arguing with someone over gift wrap and Donghyuck thinks he might really be in love with him.

"Does your crush work here?" Renjun asks, following behind.

Donghyuck laughs. "No." Renjun would not be suited for retail.

Renjun is quiet. "They're going to think we're stealing that thing."

"Honestly, good riddance." There's a mirror just around the corner, and Donghyuck pushes Renjun bodily in front of it. "If I may—"

"The fuck are you doing—" Renjun starts, trying to elbow Donghyuck in the stomach, but he cuts himself off so rapidly, like the second that ugly thing hits his neck his breath is blown away. Makes sense. It's heavy as hell.

"I think..." Donghyuck looks at Renjun consideringly, for a long moment. "I think my crush looks really fucking bad in this."

Renjun is white, lack of oxygen — Donghyuck holds his breath too, but he's already dunked himself in water and is waiting to feel whether it's freezing or not — and then he's red to the tips of his ears. "Well." He swallows, touching the necklace with the tips of cold fingers. "The scarf doesn't really match."

The process of Donghyuck's brain to compute takes too long, and once the dial tone stops ringing, all there's left to do is laugh. "What a response." He frowns, and hooks his chin on Renjun's shoulder. He looks at them both in the tiny mirror. He thinks they look good together, but they've always looked good together. "Do you like me more than the necklace?"

"That depends," Renjun says, void of anything, except something wary. "Am I your special person?" In the mirror, his hands are shaking, but Donghyuck is kind enough to pretend he doesn't notice.

"You're my most special person," Donghyuck says, so quiet that it can barely be heard, but he's close enough that Renjun doesn't have a choice but to listen. He wraps his arms around Renjun's waist, linking hands in the front, and this is familiar enough that Renjun leans back into him. "Or my bitch, which is also a term that's been thrown around today."

Renjun's expression sours. "I hate you."

Donghyuck coughs awkwardly. "Uh, really?"

Renjun spins around in Donghyuck's grasp, flaring. "Yes." His arms are around Donghyuck's neck, and for a second Donghyuck thinks it's time for a headlock, and then he's swallowed by warmth.

In his fantasies, their first kiss is sweet, but this one is a bit desperate, and their teeth hit jarringly before things smooth out, before Donghyuck's brain smooths out, and then he decides that Renjun is a really good kisser.

"You're so fucking stupid," Renjun says. "I've liked you since last year."

Donghyuck is hot down to the tips of his toes. His hands are on Renjun's hips now, and this isn't familiar, but it's easy. "I've liked you since you kicked that professor in the shins." Before they met, freshman year.

Renjun mades an angry sound and kisses him again.

They sink into it, the way lovers and romantics do, and they're not really either but Donghyuck thinks they could be, and he isn't sure how much time passes.

A throat clears behind them, and Renjun rips himself away so quickly that Donghyuck's eyes are still closed by the time Renjun says, "Can I help you?"

The retail worker looks at them both like he'd rather be anywhere else. His face is beyond handsome, and Donghyuck feels like he's seen him before, but the man also looks too irritated to try and start a conversation with. "If you want to make out, please do it in the dressing rooms like everyone else," he says dully, so prim and over it, completely. "Also, would you like me to put that away for you?"

Donghyuck laughs at the absurdity of it. "Here." The necklace is super heavy; Donghyuck is happy to be rid of it. Even the worker looks at it like it's horrendous. "Thank you. Sorry for the disturbance."

"I'm not," Renjun replies, and says something in Chinese.

The man replies in kind, and whatever it consists of is enough to make Renjun laugh, so Donghyuck wishes him a good holiday before pulling Renjun back through the store.

"Where are you going?" Renjun demands as Donghyuck bypasses the elevators. "The dressing rooms are _that_ way."

Donghyuck is bubbling over. "I mean, I was going to start walking us home but—"

"My idea is better." Renjun grins. "And you haven't bought me a present yet. Wasn't that the whole point?"

"Aren't I the present?"

Renjun's scoff is derisive. "Never." But holds on so tightly, and he pulls Donghyuck towards the dressing rooms on the second floor, and Donghyuck thinks it's going to be a really good Christmas.

**Author's Note:**

> that's right friends the barista was kun  
> the poor retail man catching renhyuck making out was supposed to be revealed in another part of this series that didn't end up happening but ITS WINWIN \o/


End file.
